Shoe-fastener.



F. V. TREMBLAY.

SHOE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, 1914.

1,155,973 Patented 00$. 5, 1915.

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Application filed June 17, 1914. Serial No.845,661.

invention, such as will enable others skilled.

in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to shoe fasteners,

and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a shoe fastening of simple construction which will operate smoothly, which will be quick and simple in operation and use, which will eliminate the use of buttons and laces, and will close the shoe about the foot yieldingly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe fastener having a sliding tongue provided with a series of ball members, and the shoe upper at the opposite sides of the ankle or instep opening is provided with slotted tubes in which said balls are adapted to be slidably connected to hold the shoe firmly on the foot, the tongue of the shoe being preferably elastic.

The foregoing and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying I drawing, in which, 7

Flgure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe provided with a fastener made in accordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the resilient tongue shown broken away at the central portion, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ball and tube members of the fastener, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the front part of the upper of the shoe and showing the fastener in operative position.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the upper of a shoe having an ordinary instep and ankle opening, and 2 is a tongue formed preferably of elastic webbing secured at its lower end underneath the vamp of the shoe. The tongue 2 is provided with ball members, each comprising a shank 3 having points or prongs 4 stamped therefrom to be used as means for fastening the ball members to the tongue, although the shank may be formed with openings for stitches if desired.

Formed on the shank 3 is a ball member 5 which may be either solid or hollow as desired. As shown, the ball members are secured in pairs to thetongue 2 with the shank portions arranged inwardly and the ball members outwardly as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The slotted tubular members comprise each a shank 6 having prongs or openings 7 formed therein for securing the shank to the opposite edges of the instep or ankle opening, and connected to the shank 6 is a tube of any desired length'S provided with a slot 9 of a width to receive the shank 3 of the ball member. s

The manner of using the fastener may be described as follows: The lower ball members 5 may be slightly larger than the others and when the first two or three members are connected to their respective tubes 8 upon opposite sides of the opening, the tongue 2 may be pulled upward and all the ball memward.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a shoe fastener made in accordance with this 7 invention is simple in construction,-may be manufactured at comparatively low cost, will operate smoothly and quickly, and will hold the shoe on the foot in an elastic and resilient manner and will fit snugly around.

the ankle and instep of the wearer.

Slight changes may be made in the details at spaced intervals to the meeting edges of the upper for engagement With said ball members, said tongue having an extending upper end forming a flap, and having fastening members on the flap and end of the tongue, so the flap may be turned down over the uppermost pairs of ball members to hold the tongue from sliding movement and the ball and slotted tubular members from disconnection.

In testimony Whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANCIS V. TREMBLAY. Witnesses:

ARTHUR GAUTHIER, ELISHA PRATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

